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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pound — a weight
  3. net — for catching
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. season — of the year
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fine — high quality
  8. capital — a city
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. net — in sport
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. season — in sport
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. capital — money
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fine — all right
  21. net — after costs
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — to crush

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