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

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mate — a friend
  3. ground — the earth
  4. capital — money
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ground — crushed
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ground — a position
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mine — for digging
  20. capital — a city
  21. scale — in music
  22. mate — a partner
  23. roll — a cake
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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