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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. chest — of your body
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. present — the time now
  5. ball — a dance
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bore — to drill
  8. ball — a great time
  9. spell — magic
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chest — of your body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. capital — a city
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wake — a trail
  21. capital — money
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chest — a box
  24. spell — letters

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