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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bound — certain
  3. march — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. kick — in football
  10. field — a subject
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bound — obliged
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. march — the month
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — an injury
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bound — tied together
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pitch — completely
  24. kick — with a leg

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