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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. capital — a city
  3. drill — a practice
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. track — a song
  6. fine — high quality
  7. track — a path
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. capital — money
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. ground — the earth
  15. drill — army training
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fine — all right
  18. track — to keep track
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. ground — crushed
  23. drill — the tool
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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