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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. fine — all right
  14. last — finally
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. season — of the year
  22. last — final
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. last — to go on

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