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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hand · foot · present · pitch · lash · spell · hide

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. spell — letters
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. foot — a measure
  7. present — the time now
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pitch — completely
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. present — there
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. present — a gift
  19. spell — magic
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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