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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. capital — money
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. can — to be able to
  10. scale — size or range
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. can — a tin
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. track — a path
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. can — a tin
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. capital — a city
  21. track — a song
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wake — a trail

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