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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 116 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. ball — a dance
  8. lean — thin
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. lean — to bend
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. tube — a container
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — hurry
  15. kick — in football
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. tube — the underground
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. ball — a great time

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