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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: court · mark · pass · patient · pop · fan · track · spell

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. court — for sport
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mark — a trace
  8. spell — magic
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spell — a short time
  13. court — of law
  14. track — a path
  15. pop — soda
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. spell — letters
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. track — a song
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. court — of a king

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