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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 116 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. capital — a city
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kid — to tease
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. press — newspapers
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. current — happening now
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spring — a coil
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. current — of water
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kid — child
  17. capital — money
  18. spring — the season
  19. current — electric
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. spring — of water
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. kick — in football

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