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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: court · pitch · file · patient · bear · bass · fall · kick

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. court — for sport
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fall — to drop
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kick — in football
  8. court — of law
  9. file — a document
  10. court — of a king
  11. bass — low music
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. file — a tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bass — the fish
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bear — the animal
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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