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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. current — happening now
  4. file — a document
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. foot — a measure
  8. capital — a city
  9. file — a line of people
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. game — wild animals
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. file — a tool
  20. game — a match
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. sharp — clever
  24. capital — money

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