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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. club — for golf
  3. capital — a city
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. rush — hurry
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. tube — a container
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bulb — for light
  14. net — for catching
  15. tube — the underground
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bulb — for light
  19. capital — money
  20. net — after costs
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — a big letter

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