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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: race · patient · racket · foot · bulb · pitch · board · mine

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to 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. race — a contest
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. race — the arms race
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitch — completely
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. race — humankind
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. board — to get on
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. board — a committee
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bulb — for light
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. foot — a measure
  23. patient — a sick person
  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