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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 124 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pound — a weight
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — a match
  8. pitch — completely
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. tube — a container
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. hand — help
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stand — on your feet

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