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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 116 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 · land · stick · nail · charge · pit · patient · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. snap — to click
  6. pit — a hole
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. land — a country
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. land — ground
  15. pit — in a race
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. land — to come down

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