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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: patient · pitch · cap · vault · fork · game · snap · press

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. press — to push
  3. fork — in a road
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. game — a match
  14. vault — a safe
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. snap — to click
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cap — a hat
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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