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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 · patient · key · tube · kid · present · fine · jam

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. kid — child
  7. key — for a lock
  8. kid — to tease
  9. tube — the underground
  10. key — in music
  11. present — the time now
  12. fine — all right
  13. present — a gift
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pitch — completely
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. present — there
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pitch — a sports field

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