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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · pit · bore · court · rock · date · scale · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bore — to drill
  4. scale — in music
  5. march — music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. pit — a hole
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. bore — to tire
  15. scale — size or range
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — in a race
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — a stone
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. court — of a king
  23. march — the month
  24. rock — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com