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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. suit — clothes
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. suit — in cards
  5. clip — to cut
  6. suit — to fit
  7. ground — crushed
  8. charge — in control
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. clip — a video
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. charge — electricity
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — a city
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. charge — a price

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