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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. can — a tin
  4. capital — a city
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. plane — a tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. can — a tin
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. capital — money
  15. row — to paddle
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. rule — a law
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. row — a line
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rule — government

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