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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: bay · fine · pass · lean · patient · capital · nail · pitch

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lean — thin
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitch — completely
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. capital — money
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pass — a permit
  21. capital — a city
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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