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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: chair · patient · fine · mate · racket · kick · pit · ground

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fine — all right
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kick — in football
  9. ground — a position
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mate — a partner
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pit — a hole
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. chair — a leader
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fine — high quality
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mate — to breed

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