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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. patient — a sick person
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. field — for sport
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. ball — a great time
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. field — farmland
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ball — a round shape
  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