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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 120 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: cap · sharp · tube · pitch · patient · stock · mug · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mug — a face
  8. tube — a container
  9. stock — goods
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mug — to rob
  12. game — wild animals
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stock — shares
  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