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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. capital — money
  5. degree — from a university
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. face — to confront
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pound — a weight
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — a city
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. face — to point toward
  20. degree — an amount
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. track — a song

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