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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · pitch · sharp · swing · ground · can · spring · patient

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ground — the earth
  3. spring — of water
  4. swing — music
  5. sharp — clever
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ground — crushed
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. can — to be able to
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. can — a tin
  16. spring — a coil
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. swing — in golf
  19. present — the time now
  20. pitch — completely
  21. spring — the season
  22. ground — a position
  23. swing — to play on
  24. present — there

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