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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cap — of ice
  4. capital — a city
  5. craft — boats
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. capital — money
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. cap — a lid
  13. craft — a skill
  14. field — a subject
  15. cap — a hat
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. charge — electricity
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. field — farmland
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. field — for sport

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