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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pitch — completely
  3. suit — clothes
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. roll — a list
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. degree — temperature
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. capital — money
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. file — a document
  22. bear — the animal
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bear — to put up with

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