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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. drill — the tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rule — government
  5. branch — a division
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rush — hurry
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. drill — army training

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