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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: capital · perch · patient · snap · scale · pass · racket · date

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. scale — in music
  10. pass — a permit
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. scale — size or range
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. date — the fruit
  19. snap — to click
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — the fish
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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