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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. file — a document
  9. lie — to recline
  10. file — a line of people
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. stock — goods
  14. court — of a king
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — of law
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. file — a tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cell — a phone
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stock — shares

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