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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stock — goods
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. present — there
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. band — a music group
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stock — shares
  18. present — a gift
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. present — the time now
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pitch — a sports field

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