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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: fine · patient · spell · chair · capital · stand · file · pitcher

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fine — all right
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — a short time
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — high quality
  14. file — a document
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chair — a leader
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. capital — money
  20. stand — to bear
  21. capital — a city
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fine — a penalty

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