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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. march — music
  4. season — in sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. mate — a partner
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. march — the month
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cue — for pool
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cue — a hint
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. season — of the year

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