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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: rush · staff · chip · pitcher · face · net · racket · patient

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. chip — to eat
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. face — to confront
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — in sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rush — hurry
  20. chip — for betting
  21. net — for catching
  22. face — part of the head
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. face — to point toward

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