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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: current · court · race · roll · patient · scale · pitcher · lie

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. lie — to recline
  7. race — a contest
  8. court — of a king
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. race — humankind
  15. current — of water
  16. race — the arms race
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — a list
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. patient — a sick person

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