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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. drill — army training
  8. tube — a container
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. track — a song
  13. drill — the tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rest — a break
  16. capital — a city
  17. hand — in cards
  18. drill — a practice
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — a path
  22. tube — the underground
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hand — help

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