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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mug — a face
  6. present — there
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. present — the time now
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. present — a gift
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitch — completely
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pitcher — a jug

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