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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 120 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: mate · patient · board · mug · pitcher · deal · shower · sharp

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — to breed
  7. board — a committee
  8. mug — to rob
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mate — a friend
  13. shower — rain
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mug — a cup
  16. shower — to wash
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mug — a face
  22. board — to get on
  23. mate — a partner
  24. deal — an agreement

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