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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. file — a line of people
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. degree — from a university
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tear — from crying
  13. field — for sport
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bulb — for light
  17. degree — an amount
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. cue — for pool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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