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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. staff — employees
  4. can — a tin
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitch — completely
  9. can — a tin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. last — to go on
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. can — to be able to
  18. last — final
  19. staff — employees
  20. last — finally
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wind — moving air

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