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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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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: wave · patient · cold · pitch · swing · wind · cue · court

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. swing — in golf
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. court — of a king
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cue — a signal
  15. court — of law
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. court — for sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — for pool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wind — moving air
  24. swing — music

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