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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: pitch · chest · mark · patient · root · fine · pit · rush

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pitch — completely
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chest — a box
  19. mark — a grade
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pit — in a race
  22. root — the cause
  23. fine — all right
  24. root — of a word

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