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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: court · patient · pitch · wound · pitcher · board · saw · dip

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. court — of law
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitch — completely
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. board — to get on
  14. court — for sport
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wound — an injury

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