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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. chest — of your body
  4. capital — a city
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bore — to tire
  7. capital — money
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fine — all right
  11. pass — a permit
  12. fine — high quality
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. scale — in music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. chest — a box
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bore — to drill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mark — a grade

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