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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. march — the month
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pass — a permit
  8. march — music
  9. rule — a law
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rule — government
  12. clip — a video
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. tube — the underground
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tube — a container
  19. capital — a city
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. march — the month
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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