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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cap — a lid
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pass — a permit
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cold — not warm

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