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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pit · patient · mate · season · chest · shower · hide · capital

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. season — in sport
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — of your body
  7. capital — a city
  8. pit — a hole
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mate — a friend
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. shower — rain
  15. pit — in a race
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. capital — money
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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