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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. ground — a position
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. capital — money
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bass — low music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bass — the fish
  22. chair — a leader
  23. capital — a city
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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