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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.

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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. game — a match
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. present — a gift
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pitch — completely
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. firm — steady
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. firm — decided

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