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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. chair — a leader
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. net — after costs
  8. lean — thin
  9. capital — a city
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. season — in sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. net — for catching
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. season — of the year
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. net — in sport

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