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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pass · leaves · pitch · field · court · hand · wind · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. field — farmland
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wind — moving air
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. hand — in cards
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pass — a permit
  14. hand — help
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. court — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. court — of a king
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. field — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. wind — moving air
  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