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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: suit · patient · swing · capital · last · rock · ball · cell

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cell — in biology
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. suit — to fit
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. capital — money
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. ball — a dance
  14. swing — in golf
  15. suit — clothes
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. suit — in cards
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rock — a stone
  20. capital — a city
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. last — final
  24. cell — a phone

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