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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: board · pitch · kick · wind · patient · can · swing · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitch — completely
  5. can — to be able to
  6. rest — what's left
  7. board — a committee
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. swing — in golf
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. board — to get on
  17. can — a tin
  18. kick — in football
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. swing — music
  24. can — a tin

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