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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mug — a cup
  7. capital — a city
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mug — a face
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bank — for money
  17. mug — to rob
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bank — of a river
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bank — for money
  24. degree — an amount

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