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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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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: pit · deal · patient · bore · capital · fork

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. capital — money
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pit — a hole
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pit — in a race
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fork — in a road
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. deal — an agreement

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