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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. plane — a tool
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fine — high quality
  6. capital — a city
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. squash — to crush
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. capital — money
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. root — of a plant
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. fine — all right

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