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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. capital — a city
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. capital — money
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rush — hurry
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — for digging
  18. staff — employees
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. staff — a stick
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. sharp — clever

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