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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 120 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: coach · deal · content · game · patient · pit · pitch · calf

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — wild animals
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pit — in a race
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pitch — completely
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. game — a match
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. deal — to handle
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  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