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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pit — in a race
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. clip — a video
  5. can — a tin
  6. net — for catching
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. net — after costs
  9. staff — a stick
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pitch — completely
  16. can — a tin
  17. net — in sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — a hole
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. staff — employees
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chair — a leader

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