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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. capital — a city
  3. staff — employees
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bear — the animal
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. squash — the sport
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. current — electric
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. capital — money
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. court — of law
  22. squash — to crush
  23. staff — employees
  24. arm — part of the body

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