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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. current — of water
  3. lean — to bend
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. current — happening now
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. staff — a stick
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. current — electric
  14. lean — thin
  15. perch — the fish
  16. staff — employees
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. staff — employees
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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