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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: nail · row · kid · lie · pitch · leaves · patient · capital

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. capital — a city
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. capital — money
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — child
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kid — to tease
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. row — a line
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. nail — on a finger

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