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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
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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: wound · patient · rush · mark · game · date · ground · pitcher

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rush — hurry
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. date — the fruit
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. game — a match
  16. ground — a position
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mark — a grade
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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