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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. field — for sport
  3. scale — size or range
  4. capital — a city
  5. fork — in a road
  6. charge — a price
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. field — a subject
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. capital — money
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. pound — a weight
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. field — farmland
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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