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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 116 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: ball · bound · race · season · patient · fall · current · pitch

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fall — the season
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fall — to drop
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. race — humankind
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. current — electric
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. current — happening now
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — in sport
  23. current — of water
  24. bound — certain

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