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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. band — a music group
  7. foot — a measure
  8. band — a ring
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. kid — child
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. kid — to tease
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. arm — part of the body

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