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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rule — government
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — thin
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. lean — to bend
  15. saw — the tool
  16. capital — money
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bound — obliged
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pitch — completely
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rule — a law

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