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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. capital — money
  3. stem — to come from
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pass — a permit
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. capital — a city
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — rain
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. game — a match
  23. shower — to wash
  24. scale — for weighing

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