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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ball · march · capital · track · game · foot · wind · patient

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. track — to keep track
  3. march — the month
  4. ball — a great time
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. march — the month
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — a path
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. march — music
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. track — a song
  19. capital — a city
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. game — a match
  23. wind — moving air
  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