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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: hand · fall · pitch · content · file · mouse · plane · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. content — happy
  6. file — a document
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fall — to drop
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. content — the amount
  12. fall — the season
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fall — to drop
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hand — help
  23. plane — in geometry
  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