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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. capital — money
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rule — a law
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rule — government
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. capital — a city
  16. current — of water
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bass — low music
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. saw — the tool

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