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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. current — of water
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chest — of your body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chest — a box
  14. current — happening now
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cap — a lid
  18. current — electric
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cap — of ice
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pitch — completely

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