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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 120 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: board · stick · patient · current · chest · capital · saw · court

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. court — of law
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. capital — a city
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. saw — the tool
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. court — of a king
  12. board — a committee
  13. current — happening now
  14. capital — money
  15. chest — a box
  16. board — to get on
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. chest — of your body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. court — for sport

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