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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: kick · patient · tube · pitch · mark · date · game · chip

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. chip — for betting
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitch — completely
  9. tube — a container
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. game — a match
  14. mark — a grade
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. tube — the underground
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chip — to eat
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mark — a trace
  24. kick — in football

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