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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wake — a trail
  3. ground — crushed
  4. march — the month
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. march — music
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. drill — the tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. drill — army training
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. march — the month
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ground — a position
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ground — the earth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. drill — a practice

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