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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 · march · scale · cue · lie · roll · cabinet · game

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. march — the month
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cue — for pool
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cue — a hint
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. scale — in music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cue — a signal
  24. roll — a cake

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