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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: bowl · pitch · ball · fan · spring · rock · patient · last

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spring — of water
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitch — completely
  9. ball — a great time
  10. last — final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. last — finally
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. last — to go on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rock — a stone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spring — the season
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. spring — a coil

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