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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. court — of law
  4. wound — an injury
  5. capital — a city
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. capital — money
  9. court — of a king
  10. spell — magic
  11. court — for sport
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. spell — letters
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wake — a trail
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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