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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 124 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. tube — the underground
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. file — a line of people
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. file — a document
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitch — completely
  14. row — a line
  15. content — the amount
  16. row — to paddle
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. content — happy
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. file — a tool
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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