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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. last — final
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. capital — money
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. kid — to tease
  16. last — finally
  17. kid — child
  18. root — of a word
  19. last — to go on
  20. date — the fruit
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. root — the cause

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