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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 116 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: mug · content · can · scale · mark · cold · patient · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mug — to rob
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cold — not warm
  6. content — the amount
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — happy
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cold — an illness
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mug — a face
  22. scale — in music
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mark — a trace

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