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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. firm — decided
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. firm — steady
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — ground
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. content — the amount
  12. capital — a city
  13. content — happy
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. land — to come down
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. capital — money
  24. firm — a company

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