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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chip · hand · stock · perch · calf · patient · wound

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. stock — goods
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. hand — in cards
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. hand — help
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. perch — the fish
  21. chip — to eat
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stock — shares
  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