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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: nail · patient · race · cap · march · file · pitch · dip

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. race — a contest
  4. file — a document
  5. cap — of ice
  6. file — a tool
  7. march — the month
  8. race — the arms race
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cap — a hat
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. race — humankind
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. march — music
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. file — a line of people
  20. march — the month
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitch — completely
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cap — a lid

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