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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. file — a document
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a line of people
  5. march — the month
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — music
  15. board — to get on
  16. march — the month
  17. file — a tool
  18. board — a committee
  19. present — there
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. rest — a break
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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