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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. game — a match
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pitch — completely
  6. content — happy
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stand — to bear
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — the amount
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bark — to shout

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