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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bowl · foot · wake · game · file · mug · patient · pitch

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. file — a document
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pitch — completely
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. game — a match
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mug — a face
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. game — wild animals
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. file — a tool
  22. wake — a trail
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mug — a cup

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