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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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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: mine · sharp · board · pass · hand · capital · field · patient

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. board — to get on
  9. field — for sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. capital — money
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hand — help
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. board — a committee
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. capital — a city

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