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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: patient · chest · fan · pitch · ball · hand · mug · lean

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chest — of your body
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mug — to rob
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. lean — thin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitch — completely
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ball — a dance
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chest — a box
  17. lean — to bend
  18. ball — a great time
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mug — a face

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