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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
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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: bore · board · patient · club · roll · pit · capital · bat

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pit — in a race
  6. club — for dancing
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. capital — a city
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. roll — a cake
  16. club — a group
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. board — a committee
  23. bat — the animal
  24. club — for golf

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