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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. capital — money
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. capital — a city
  5. sharp — clever
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. net — in sport
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. squash — the sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. scale — in music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lean — thin
  17. craft — boats
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. lean — to bend
  24. net — after costs

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