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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 · nail · game · pitch · dip · stock · board · squash

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — a match
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. board — a committee
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stock — goods
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. game — wild animals
  17. dip — to sink
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pitch — completely
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stock — shares

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