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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. capital — a city
  4. fine — all right
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. craft — boats
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. craft — a skill
  9. race — humankind
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. firm — decided
  14. race — the arms race
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. firm — steady
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. race — a contest
  21. capital — money
  22. snap — to click
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. hand — part of the body

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