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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · field · racket · chair · club · rush · patient · capital

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. club — for dancing
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. capital — money
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. club — a group
  9. can — a tin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chair — a leader
  13. can — to be able to
  14. field — for sport
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. can — a tin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. field — a subject
  19. rush — hurry
  20. club — for golf
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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