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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wind — moving air
  3. last — finally
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. last — final
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. deal — to handle
  9. capital — a city
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — a short time
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — letters
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fine — all right
  16. capital — money
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — magic
  22. fine — high quality
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. last — to go on

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