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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lie — to recline
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. key — in music
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wind — moving air
  19. deal — to handle
  20. key — the most important part
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wax — to grow

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