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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. capital — a city
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. capital — money
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rest — what's left
  12. file — a document
  13. bass — low music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rest — a break
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. file — a tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. tube — a container
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bass — the fish
  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