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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 116 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: rash · pitch · content · net · bass · bore · file · patient

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. net — after costs
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. pitch — completely
  7. file — a document
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bass — low music
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bass — the fish
  12. net — for catching
  13. content — the amount
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rash — a series
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bore — to drill
  23. content — happy
  24. rash — on the skin

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