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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. roll — a cake
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mark — a grade
  7. capital — a city
  8. mark — a trace
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rash — a series
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chest — of your body
  17. staff — employees
  18. roll — a list
  19. rash — hasty
  20. staff — employees
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. capital — money
  24. mark — to pay attention

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