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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 124 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pop — music
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. roll — a list
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. saw — the tool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pop — soda
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. capital — money
  22. pop — to visit
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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