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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: patient · can · last · court · mark · date · perch · game

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mark — a grade
  3. can — to be able to
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mark — a trace
  6. last — to go on
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — finally
  9. game — a match
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — of law
  12. date — the fruit
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. court — for sport
  15. perch — the fish
  16. last — final
  17. can — a tin
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. court — of a king
  21. can — a tin
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. perch — for a bird

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