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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 · pitch · staff · rule · mouse · straw

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rule — a law
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rule — government
  17. staff — employees
  18. patient — calm and waiting

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