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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. court — of law
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cue — for pool
  15. capital — money
  16. cue — a signal
  17. key — in music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. key — the most important part
  21. court — for sport
  22. cue — a hint
  23. key — for a lock
  24. court — of a king

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