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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. capital — money
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rush — hurry
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. stock — goods
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. capital — a city
  15. stock — shares
  16. club — for dancing
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. club — for golf
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. fine — all right
  24. club — a group

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