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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pitch — completely
  7. current — electric
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. current — happening now
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mine — for digging
  19. current — of water
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. hand — help
  24. bat — for 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