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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. kick — in football
  4. capital — a city
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. present — there
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. capital — money
  10. game — wild animals
  11. present — a gift
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. mug — a cup
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bound — obliged
  17. present — the time now
  18. game — a match
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mug — a face
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. patient — a sick person

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