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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: pit · prune · patient · present · race · pitch

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitch — completely
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pit — in a race
  11. race — the arms race
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. pit — a hole
  17. prune — to trim
  18. present — the time now

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