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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. hand — help
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — money
  9. hand — in cards
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. capital — a city
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. current — of water
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. degree — temperature
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. object — to protest

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