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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. staff — a stick
  3. net — after costs
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bore — to tire
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. staff — employees
  10. bore — to drill
  11. ball — a dance
  12. net — for catching
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. field — farmland
  15. net — in sport
  16. ball — a great time
  17. staff — employees
  18. field — for sport
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. capital — a city
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — a subject
  24. patient — a sick person

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