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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. present — there
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mine — for digging
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. present — a gift
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. ball — a great time
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. present — the time now
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. capital — money
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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