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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. capital — money
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. capital — a city
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. last — finally
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. last — to go on
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. hand — help
  18. last — final
  19. foot — a measure
  20. present — a gift
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. hand — in cards

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