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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. capital — a city
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — final
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. capital — money
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — to go on
  9. bound — certain
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. last — finally
  13. deal — to handle
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. fine — all right
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bound — tied together
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fine — high quality

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