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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. charge — a price
  7. rash — hasty
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rest — what's left
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rest — a break
  14. capital — a city
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rash — a series
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rest — what's left
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. capital — money
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. nail — on a finger

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