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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: game · bat · arm · patient · pound · pit · mug · club

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mug — a face
  5. pit — a hole
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bat — the animal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mug — to rob
  13. club — for golf
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. game — a match
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. club — for dancing
  20. game — wild animals
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pit — in a race
  23. club — a group
  24. game — a kind of play

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