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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 116 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: kid · patient · capital · wake · sharp · court · ruler · stand

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. court — for sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. capital — a city
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stand — to bear
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. kid — to tease
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. court — of a king
  23. kid — child
  24. sharp — clever

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