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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mark — a grade
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. capital — money
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cell — in biology
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. pop — to visit
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pop — soda
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pop — music
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. capital — a city
  20. mark — a trace
  21. toast — bread
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. cell — a phone

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