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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
468
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 · kid · pitch · chip · board · rush · squash · tube

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. kid — child
  4. rush — hurry
  5. board — to get on
  6. squash — to crush
  7. board — a committee
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. squash — the sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — the underground
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tube — a container
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chip — to eat
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pitch — completely
  24. chip — for betting

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