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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: sharp · patient · mark · pitch · kid · foot · mate · row

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. kid — to tease
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mate — a partner
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. sharp — clever
  16. foot — a measure
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mark — a trace
  23. kid — child
  24. sharp — with an edge

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