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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mug — a face
  9. race — humankind
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pit — a hole
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. race — a contest
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mug — a cup
  18. swing — music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. race — the arms race
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mug — to rob
  23. tube — a container
  24. swing — in golf

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