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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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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. net — for catching
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. tear — from crying
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. net — in sport
  15. tear — to rip
  16. band — a ring
  17. net — after costs
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cap — a hat
  20. band — a music group
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pit — a hole
  23. deal — to handle
  24. patient — a sick person

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