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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. capital — a city
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mine — for digging
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. march — the month
  14. wind — moving air
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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