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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. key — the most important part
  7. track — to keep track
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cold — an illness
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. capital — money
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. track — a path
  17. key — in music
  18. track — a song
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ball — a dance
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cold — not warm
  24. key — for a lock

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