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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: wound · pitch · racket · chair · patient · pop · firm · chest

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pop — music
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. firm — a company
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. pop — soda
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. firm — steady
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pop — to visit
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. firm — decided

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