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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: swing · patient · foot · bound · sharp · pitcher · scale · capital

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bound — certain
  4. swing — music
  5. sharp — clever
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. capital — money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. foot — a measure
  11. scale — size or range
  12. capital — a city
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. scale — in music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. swing — to play on
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bound — tied together
  22. swing — in golf
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bound — obliged

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