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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: nail · patient · net · pitch · mug · staff · firm · last

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. firm — a company
  3. net — for catching
  4. last — final
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. net — in sport
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. last — finally
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. net — after costs
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. pitch — completely
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. last — to go on
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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