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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lean — thin
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. lean — to rest against

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