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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 · board · object · capital · chest · current · fine · patient

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fine — all right
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. current — of water
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. current — happening now
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. object — a thing
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chest — a box
  13. board — a committee
  14. object — to protest
  15. board — to get on
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — an aim
  20. current — electric
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. chest — of your body

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