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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: object · dip · swing · patient · pit · bat · field · rush

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bat — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. field — farmland
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. swing — music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pit — in a race
  9. object — an aim
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. swing — in golf
  12. object — a thing
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. dip — to sink
  18. object — to protest
  19. swing — to play on
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pit — a hole
  22. field — a subject
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bat — in an idiom

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