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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: capital · pitch · fan · patient · board · kick · swing · kid

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. capital — a city
  4. kid — child
  5. board — a committee
  6. kick — in football
  7. swing — to play on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pitch — completely
  11. capital — money
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. kid — to tease
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. board — to get on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. swing — music
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pitch — a sports field

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