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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 116 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pitch — completely
  4. face — to confront
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. court — of law
  13. tube — the underground
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — of a king
  16. tube — a container
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. sharp — clever
  20. court — for sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. face — part of the head
  24. season — in sport

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