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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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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ground — the earth
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. capital — a city
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ground — crushed
  18. hand — help
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. capital — money
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ground — a position
  23. track — a song
  24. bear — the animal

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