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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. capital — a city
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wind — moving air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. object — to protest
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. saw — the tool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. capital — money
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wind — moving air

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