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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: suit · date · march · capital · bore · fan · patient · kick

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. capital — a city
  6. suit — in cards
  7. kick — in football
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bore — to tire
  15. suit — to fit
  16. date — the fruit
  17. march — the month
  18. capital — money
  19. march — music
  20. bore — to drill
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fan — a supporter

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