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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. firm — a company
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. firm — steady
  9. band — a ring
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. current — electric
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. band — a music group
  18. track — a song
  19. current — of water
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. firm — decided
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pitch — completely
  24. current — happening now

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