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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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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: mark · sharp · chair · press · capital · patient · fine · scale

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — a leader
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fine — all right
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. capital — money
  16. fine — high quality
  17. press — to push
  18. capital — a city
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. press — newspapers

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