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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: nail · game · pitcher · rush · mark · bowl · patient · swing

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. game — a match
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. swing — music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rush — hurry
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. game — wild animals

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