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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · cell · press · pitch · patient · bound · suit · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bound — obliged
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. game — a match
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cell — a phone
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. suit — clothes
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wound — an injury
  23. press — to push
  24. pitch — a sports field

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