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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pop — to visit
  4. capital — a city
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. key — in music
  8. pop — music
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — the most important part
  11. firm — a company
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. hand — in cards
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. hand — help
  17. key — for a lock
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — steady
  22. pass — a permit
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pop — soda

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