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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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468
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: pitcher · patient · nail · fine · sharp · rest · racket · hand

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rest — what's left
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rest — a break
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. hand — in cards
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fine — high quality
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. hand — help
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. racket — for tennis

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