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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rock — music
  7. capital — money
  8. fork — in a road
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. content — the amount
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cue — a hint
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cue — for pool
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. capital — a city
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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