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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: plane · fan · patient · ground · pitch · present · game · wound

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ground — the earth
  5. game — a match
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wound — an injury
  8. plane — a tool
  9. present — there
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitch — completely
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. present — the time now
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wound — an injury
  17. present — a gift
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. ground — a position
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. patient — a sick person

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