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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: patient · bore · suit · sharp · arm · capital · pit · cue

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. capital — a city
  4. cue — a hint
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. suit — clothes
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cue — for pool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. suit — in cards
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pit — in a race
  17. suit — to fit
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cue — a signal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bore — to tire
  22. capital — money
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. patient — a sick person

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