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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tube — a container
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. tube — the underground
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. toast — bread
  12. capital — money
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. wind — moving air
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. racket — for tennis

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