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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — a hat
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bat — the animal
  9. object — to protest
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. spring — the season
  12. rest — a break
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rest — what's left
  15. object — a thing
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. object — an aim
  21. cap — of ice
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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