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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 124 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mate — a friend
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — to tease
  5. tube — a container
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pass — a permit
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. kid — child
  14. tube — the underground
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mate — a partner
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mate — to breed
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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