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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pop — soda
  6. fine — all right
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ball — a great time
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fine — high quality
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rush — a thrill

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