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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. season — of the year
  3. ball — a great time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spring — the season
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. capital — money
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pound — a weight
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. capital — a city
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. spring — of water
  17. season — in sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. squash — to crush
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. squash — the sport

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