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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mine — for digging
  6. season — of the year
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stand — to bear
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. kick — in football
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. saw — the tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. saw — the tool

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