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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 120 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. capital — a city
  3. stock — goods
  4. bass — low music
  5. pass — a permit
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bass — the fish
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — a position
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. capital — money
  18. stock — shares
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. swing — to play on
  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