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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.

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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: chip · sharp · scale · patient · bank · court · cap · chest

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bank — for money
  4. chest — of your body
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. chip — to eat
  9. scale — size or range
  10. court — for sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chest — a box
  14. court — of law
  15. bank — of a river
  16. court — of a king
  17. bank — for money
  18. chest — of your body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. scale — in music
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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