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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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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: bank · patient · cold · pitcher · pit · perch · deal · cue

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bank — for money
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bank — for money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cold — an illness

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