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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: straw · patient · fall · leaves · pitch · bay · bear · court

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. court — of a king
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. court — for sport
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. court — of law
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bay — a horse colour

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