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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. charge — in control
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. degree — an amount
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. capital — money
  9. hand — in cards
  10. charge — a price
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — help
  17. charge — electricity
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tear — to rip
  22. suit — in cards
  23. tear — from crying
  24. suit — to fit

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