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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. last — finally
  3. pitch — completely
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — to go on
  7. lean — to bend
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. last — final
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bound — certain
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. lean — thin
  19. chest — a box
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bound — tied together

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