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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. season — in sport
  4. wake — a trail
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. capital — money
  9. mug — a face
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. season — of the year
  21. tube — the underground
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. jam — in traffic

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