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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. drill — army training
  3. chip — to eat
  4. capital — a city
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bass — the fish
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chip — for betting
  16. sharp — clever
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — low music
  21. drill — a practice
  22. capital — money
  23. drill — the tool
  24. capital — a big letter

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