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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: snap · pitcher · capital · patient · last · safe · rash · pit

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pit — in a race
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — final
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. last — to go on
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rash — a series
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. last — finally

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