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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · ground · cell · track · wound · pitch · capital · patient

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. capital — money
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — crushed
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. track — a path
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pitch — completely
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cell — in biology
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — a position
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. capital — a city
  24. track — a song

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