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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 124 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. row — to paddle
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. march — the month
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. deal — to handle
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bound — tied together
  11. capital — money
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. row — a line
  16. chest — a box
  17. bound — obliged
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bound — certain
  20. capital — a city
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. chest — of your body

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