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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 124 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: mouse · pitch · field · patient · fall · deal · face · drill

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pitch — completely
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. face — to point toward
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. field — for sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fall — the season
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. drill — army training
  16. face — to confront
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. deal — to handle
  20. field — a subject
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. drill — the tool
  24. field — farmland

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