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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: ball · pitch · patient · kid · fan · shower · stock · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ball — a great time
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. shower — rain
  6. ball — a dance
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kid — child
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stock — shares
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stock — goods
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pitch — completely

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