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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 124 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. capital — a city
  3. mark — a trace
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. press — a publisher
  6. dip — to sink
  7. snap — to click
  8. bound — certain
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. capital — money
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stock — shares
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. press — newspapers
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bound — tied together
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stock — goods
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. press — to push
  24. capital — a big letter

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