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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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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: dip · jam · wind · bore · patient · pitch · kid · last

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wind — moving air
  6. last — final
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wind — moving air
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. last — to go on
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. kid — child
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bore — to tire
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. last — finally

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