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

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rock — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rock — a stone
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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