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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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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 · fan · court · suit · wind · drill · pitch · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. drill — army training
  3. suit — clothes
  4. rest — what's left
  5. court — for sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. court — of a king
  11. rest — a break
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. suit — in cards
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. court — of law
  19. suit — to fit
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. drill — the tool
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wind — moving air
  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