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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rock — music
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. kid — child
  5. rock — a stone
  6. land — to come down
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. kid — to tease
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. swing — music
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. swing — to play on
  13. capital — a city
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cell — in biology
  17. land — a country
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. land — ground
  22. swing — in golf
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bay — a horse colour

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