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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: season · cell · capital · firm · patient · rule · perch · toast

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cell — a phone
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — a company
  6. rule — a law
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. capital — money
  9. cell — in biology
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. season — of the year
  16. perch — the fish
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. firm — decided
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. capital — a city
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rule — government

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