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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: net · bat · ground · fine · patient · capital · arm · foot

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. foot — a measure
  4. ground — a position
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bat — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fine — all right
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. net — after costs
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. capital — money
  16. net — for catching
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. ground — crushed
  19. capital — a city
  20. fine — high quality
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. capital — a big letter

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