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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. land — to come down
  8. fine — all right
  9. land — a country
  10. fine — high quality
  11. lean — thin
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pitch — completely
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cell — a phone
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. land — ground

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