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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: rash · kid · bat · prune · pitch · firm · patient · dip

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rash — a series
  4. dip — to sink
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — steady
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kid — child
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitch — completely
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rash — on the skin

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