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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: date · patient · pitch · court · leaves · rash · kid · dip

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pitch — completely
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — a series
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. court — of law
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. dip — to sink

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