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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 120 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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. can — a tin
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. spring — of water
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cold — not warm
  12. capital — a city
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. can — to be able to
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. capital — money
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pass — a permit
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. can — a tin

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