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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rock — music
  4. pitch — completely
  5. snap — to click
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. field — for sport
  8. file — a document
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fine — high quality
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. file — a tool
  13. field — farmland
  14. fine — all right
  15. field — a subject
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. file — a line of people
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rock — a stone
  23. deal — to handle
  24. patient — a sick person

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