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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. capital — a city
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bear — the animal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. object — a thing
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. scale — size or range
  10. object — an aim
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. object — to protest
  14. bear — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. capital — money
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stock — goods
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bat — the animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. stock — shares
  24. bat — in an idiom

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