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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · foot · shower · stick · patient · charge · present · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. charge — electricity
  4. present — there
  5. capital — a city
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. present — the time now
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. charge — a price
  13. capital — money
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. charge — in control
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. present — a gift
  21. foot — a measure
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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