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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: lie · rest · patient · bound · row · pitch · wake · bay

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. row — a line
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wake — a trail
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rest — what's left
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rest — a break
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bound — certain
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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