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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. club — for dancing
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — steady
  9. field — for sport
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bat — the animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. tear — to rip
  14. staff — employees
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. staff — a stick
  17. club — a group
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. field — farmland
  23. staff — employees
  24. firm — decided

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