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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
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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: degree · staff · fan · mark · ball · scale · patient · pitcher

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a dance
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. staff — employees
  12. degree — an amount
  13. scale — in music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. staff — employees
  17. mark — a trace
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. staff — a stick
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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