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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: leaves · chip · bore · swing · pitcher · kid · pitch · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chip — to eat
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitch — completely
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. kid — child
  15. swing — music
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bore — to drill
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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