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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 120 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: drill · lash · patient · net · racket · chest · wake · pitch

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. drill — army training
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. drill — a practice
  13. net — in sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chest — of your body
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. patient — a sick person

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