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

Word bank: kid · patient · lash · cell · pass · fine · chair · scale

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chair — a leader
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. kid — to tease
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fine — all right
  16. pass — a permit
  17. scale — in music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fine — high quality
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cell — in biology
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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