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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 120 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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 — calm and waiting
  2. march — the month
  3. pitch — completely
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. march — the month
  9. land — to come down
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cap — a lid
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cap — of ice
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. cap — a hat
  18. land — a country
  19. row — a line
  20. march — music
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. land — ground
  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