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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. clip — to cut
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. suit — clothes
  6. court — for sport
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. snap — to click
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. court — of a king
  11. field — a subject
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. field — farmland
  14. court — of law
  15. bear — the animal
  16. capital — money
  17. clip — a video
  18. field — for sport
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bear — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. capital — a city
  24. clip — for paper

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