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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. net — for catching
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. net — after costs
  8. band — a music group
  9. charge — in control
  10. net — in sport
  11. charge — a price
  12. band — a ring
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. charge — electricity
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rock — a stone
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. vault — a safe

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