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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. clip — to cut
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. can — a tin
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. clip — for paper
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — a video
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pound — a weight
  23. can — a tin
  24. pound — to hit hard

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