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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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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 · content · pitch · hand · cell · fork · row · leaves

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. row — a line
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. hand — help
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fork — in a road
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. content — the amount
  21. pitch — completely
  22. content — happy
  23. cell — in biology
  24. hand — in cards

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