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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: patient · capital · sharp · cue · stock · deal · field · row

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stock — goods
  9. cue — for pool
  10. capital — a city
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. row — a line
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. capital — money
  16. cue — a signal
  17. row — to paddle
  18. field — farmland
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. field — for sport
  23. cue — a hint
  24. field — a subject

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