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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. fine — high quality
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mate — to breed
  6. game — wild animals
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mate — a friend
  9. fine — all right
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. toast — bread
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. capital — a city
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. march — the month
  18. mate — a partner
  19. march — music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. march — the month
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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