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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. clip — a video
  4. bank — for money
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. sharp — clever
  13. charge — in control
  14. degree — from a university
  15. charge — electricity
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — for paper
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. clip — to cut
  21. charge — a price
  22. capital — a city
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. capital — money

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