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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: capital · pound · object · ground · mate · chair · patient · scale

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. object — an aim
  3. ground — a position
  4. object — a thing
  5. capital — a city
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ground — crushed
  8. capital — money
  9. scale — in music
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ground — the earth
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mate — a friend
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mate — to breed
  21. object — to protest
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mate — a partner
  24. chair — to sit on

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