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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 116 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. perch — the fish
  3. file — a document
  4. capital — a city
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stock — goods
  12. file — a tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. charge — in control
  18. capital — money
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stock — shares
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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