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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. capital — a city
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. suit — clothes
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. suit — in cards
  10. roll — a list
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fine — all right
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. capital — money
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. hand — help
  19. roll — a cake
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fine — high quality

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