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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 · pitch · lash · stand · mine · calf · ruler · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stand — to bear
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. court — for sport
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. court — of a king
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mine — for digging
  24. patient — a sick person

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