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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. game — wild animals
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wound — an injury
  6. game — a match
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. season — of the year
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rush — hurry
  17. face — to confront
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. face — to point toward
  24. game — a kind of play

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