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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 120 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: season · mark · fork · bound · present · court · degree · patient

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bound — certain
  5. court — of a king
  6. season — of the year
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fork — in a road
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bound — obliged
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. present — the time now
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. present — a gift
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bound — tied together
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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