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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pit — a hole
  5. court — for sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. cap — of ice
  8. band — a ring
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. court — of a king
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. court — of law
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. season — of the year
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. band — a music group

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