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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. capital — a city
  3. net — for catching
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. net — after costs
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. firm — decided
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. firm — a company
  17. net — in sport
  18. firm — steady
  19. band — a music group
  20. capital — money
  21. band — a ring
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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