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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. shower — to wash
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. race — a contest
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. shower — rain
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fall — to drop
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. race — the arms race
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fall — the season
  19. plane — a tool
  20. race — humankind
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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