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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. capital — a city
  5. mug — a face
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wound — an injury
  9. suit — in cards
  10. season — in sport
  11. suit — to fit
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chair — a leader
  14. spell — letters
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. suit — clothes
  17. spell — magic
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mug — a cup
  21. capital — money
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. season — of the year
  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