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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: patient · pitch · fork · last · game · bore · stand · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cap — a lid
  6. game — a match
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bore — to drill
  14. last — to go on
  15. cap — of ice
  16. last — final
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. game — wild animals
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. last — finally
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pitch — a sports field

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