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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. capital — a city
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bound — obliged
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. row — to paddle
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. bound — certain
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. capital — money
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. row — a line
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bound — tied together
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. saw — the tool
  24. row — a quarrel

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