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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. chest — of your body
  4. land — ground
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitch — completely
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. wind — moving air
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. land — a country
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wind — moving air
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bound — certain

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