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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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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: racket · patient · pitch · pit · capital · saw · wave · chair

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. capital — a city
  6. pit — a hole
  7. capital — money
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitch — completely
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pit — in a race
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chair — a professorship

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