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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: pitch · patient · content · can · kick · roll · wound · pop

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitch — completely
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kick — in football
  8. content — happy
  9. pop — music
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. roll — a list
  13. pop — to visit
  14. content — the amount
  15. pop — soda
  16. wound — an injury
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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