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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: mug · capital · bay · patient · pop · cue · chest · last

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. last — final
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mug — to rob
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cue — for pool
  8. chest — a box
  9. cue — a hint
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pop — soda
  13. capital — money
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pop — music
  16. mug — a face
  17. last — finally
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. last — to go on
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cue — a signal

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