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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. capital — money
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fall — the season
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. scale — in music
  15. deal — to handle
  16. ground — a position
  17. tube — a container
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ground — crushed
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ground — the earth
  23. capital — a city
  24. deal — a big deal

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