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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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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 · nail · pitch · wake · march · patient · firm · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. march — music
  3. present — there
  4. firm — steady
  5. march — the month
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. present — a gift
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. firm — a company
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wake — a trail
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. present — the time now
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. march — the month
  22. firm — decided
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pitch — completely

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