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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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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: ball · stand · scale · roll · date · patient · nail · chair

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. scale — in music
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. roll — a cake
  6. date — the fruit
  7. chair — a leader
  8. ball — a great time
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stand — for spectators

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