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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. present — there
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. present — the time now
  7. capital — money
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. squash — to crush
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. present — a gift
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — the sport
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pitch — completely
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. capital — a city

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