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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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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: field · bowl · firm · toast · wound · bay · patient · pitch

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. field — for sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. firm — steady
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. toast — bread
  10. firm — a company
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wound — an injury
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wound — an injury
  17. field — farmland
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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