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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. ball — a dance
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. row — a line
  7. field — farmland
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. field — for sport
  10. file — a document
  11. field — a subject
  12. file — a line of people
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. staff — a stick
  18. saw — the tool
  19. staff — employees
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. staff — employees
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. row — to paddle

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