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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fine — all right
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. capital — money
  9. present — there
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chip — for betting
  16. row — a line
  17. present — a gift
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. present — the time now
  20. capital — a city
  21. snap — to click
  22. fine — high quality
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rush — a thrill

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