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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bear — the animal
  4. club — a group
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. march — the month
  7. capital — a city
  8. ground — a position
  9. capital — money
  10. club — for dancing
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bear — the animal
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. club — for golf
  17. march — music
  18. squash — to crush
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ground — the earth
  22. squash — the sport
  23. ground — crushed
  24. squash — the vegetable

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