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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. capital — a city
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chip — for betting
  5. capital — money
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wake — a trail
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. perch — the fish
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rest — a break
  19. chip — to eat
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chip — in a computer

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