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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — a stick
  4. capital — a city
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. club — a group
  7. pound — a weight
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. saw — the tool
  11. charge — in control
  12. club — for dancing
  13. ground — crushed
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. club — for golf
  18. ground — a position
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. charge — a price
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. ground — the earth
  24. capital — money

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