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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · squash · cell · present · capital · net · mate · racket

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mate — a friend
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cell — in biology
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mate — to breed
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. present — there
  10. net — in sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cell — a phone
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. net — after costs
  17. capital — money
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mate — a partner
  21. net — for catching
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. capital — a city

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