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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 116 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: deal · patient · rock · pitch · board · sharp · squash · field

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pitch — completely
  3. board — to get on
  4. squash — to crush
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. deal — to handle
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. field — for sport
  10. rock — music
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. board — a committee
  13. sharp — clever
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rock — a stone
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. field — farmland
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. field — a subject
  24. rock — to move gently

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