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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: pitch · tear · toast · patient · mine · net · nail · bore

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. net — after costs
  2. pitch — completely
  3. net — in sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. tear — to rip
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. toast — bread
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mine — for digging
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. net — for catching
  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