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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — to breed
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fall — the season
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. band — a music group
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. fall — to drop
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. snap — to click
  21. band — a ring
  22. capital — money
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fan — a supporter

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