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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chest — a box
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. capital — a city
  13. firm — a company
  14. stand — to bear
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — low music
  18. rule — a law
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stand — for spectators

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