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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cue — for pool
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cap — a hat
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chair — a leader
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cap — of ice
  24. rash — a series

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