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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: patient · rash · pitch · mouse · drill · stand · tube · game

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. stand — to bear
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. drill — army training
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. game — wild animals
  15. tube — a container
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rash — a series
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. game — a match

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