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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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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: pitch · stock · shower · patient · mark · swing · fall · perch

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fall — the season
  4. mark — a grade
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. swing — to play on
  8. shower — to wash
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stock — shares
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stock — goods
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fall — to drop
  18. shower — rain
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. swing — music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mark — a trace

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