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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. file — a line of people
  3. net — after costs
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. file — a document
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cap — of ice
  16. file — a tool
  17. capital — money
  18. net — in sport
  19. snap — to click
  20. net — for catching
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cap — a lid
  23. capital — a city
  24. rush — a thrill

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