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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. capital — a city
  4. bear — the animal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cue — a signal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — help
  11. capital — money
  12. bear — the animal
  13. shower — rain
  14. cue — a hint
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cue — for pool
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — part of the body

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