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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bear — the animal
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rush — hurry
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. capital — money
  17. bear — the animal
  18. straw — a straw man

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