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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. capital — a city
  6. last — finally
  7. club — for dancing
  8. shower — to wash
  9. club — a group
  10. last — to go on
  11. chip — to eat
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. chip — for betting
  14. last — final
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. club — for golf
  18. capital — money
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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