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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. cap — of ice
  3. capital — a city
  4. key — in music
  5. bound — obliged
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cue — a signal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bound — tied together
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bound — certain
  17. cue — for pool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wind — moving air
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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