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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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