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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: fine · patient · kid · rash · wake · pitcher · pitch · date

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitch — completely
  4. kid — child
  5. rash — hasty
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rash — a series
  9. fine — all right
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. kid — to tease
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — a trail

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