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

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. club — a group
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. capital — a city
  8. club — for golf
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. capital — money
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. root — of a plant
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. club — for dancing
  19. root — the cause
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. root — of a word
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. date — on the calendar

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