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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 · chest · patient · game · tube · board · ground · last

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. game — a match
  4. last — final
  5. board — to get on
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pit — a hole
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ground — crushed
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. last — finally
  14. chest — a box
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. ground — a position
  17. board — a committee
  18. pit — in a race
  19. game — wild animals
  20. last — to go on
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ground — the earth
  24. tube — a container

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