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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: mouse · patient · tear · last · sharp · pit · lie · capital

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — money
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. capital — a city
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. sharp — clever
  12. tear — to rip
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. tear — from crying
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pit — a hole
  22. last — final
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pit — in a race

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