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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: mug · court · pitcher · patient · race · rest · pitch · bound

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rest — what's left
  5. court — of a king
  6. mug — a cup
  7. race — a contest
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mug — to rob
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mug — a face
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rest — a break
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pitch — completely
  21. race — humankind
  22. bound — tied together
  23. court — of law
  24. pitch — a sports field

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