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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: temple · chair · tube · pit · patient · stock · pitch · net

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. stock — a soup base
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. chair — a leader
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. net — for catching
  9. pitch — completely
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stock — goods
  12. tube — a container
  13. net — in sport
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pit — in a race
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. net — after costs
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stock — shares
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. temple — side of the head
  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