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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. march — music
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lean — thin
  11. march — the month
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pop — soda
  16. lean — to bend
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bound — certain
  19. march — the month
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. tear — to rip
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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