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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. court — of law
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spell — magic
  10. net — for catching
  11. bass — the fish
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. spell — a short time
  14. capital — a city
  15. court — of a king
  16. capital — money
  17. net — in sport
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — for sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. bass — low music
  23. spell — letters
  24. stem — of a plant

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