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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. firm — decided
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ball — a dance
  13. capital — a city
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. firm — a company
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. lean — thin
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. firm — steady
  22. rush — hurry
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. ball — a great time

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