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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: patient · foot · last · pass · capital · net · clip · bass

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. clip — to cut
  3. net — for catching
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. last — finally
  6. bass — low music
  7. clip — a video
  8. last — to go on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. net — after costs
  19. clip — for paper
  20. capital — money
  21. pass — a permit
  22. capital — a city
  23. foot — a measure
  24. net — in sport

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