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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: pitcher · patient · board · net · sharp · suit · kid · land

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — ground
  4. net — in sport
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. suit — to fit
  8. board — to get on
  9. sharp — clever
  10. kid — to tease
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. land — to come down
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. suit — clothes
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. kid — child
  20. net — after costs
  21. board — a committee
  22. land — a country
  23. net — for catching
  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