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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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 — a sports field
  2. pop — to visit
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. face — to point toward
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. lean — thin
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bass — low music
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lean — to bend
  23. face — to confront
  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