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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: drill · court · tube · cold · patient · pitch · suit · cabinet

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. court — for sport
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — an illness
  7. court — of law
  8. drill — the tool
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. tube — a container
  14. drill — a practice
  15. suit — to fit
  16. court — of a king
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. suit — in cards
  21. tube — the underground
  22. drill — army training
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pitch — completely

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