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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. hand — in cards
  3. kick — in football
  4. bound — tied together
  5. dip — to sink
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bound — certain
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. suit — to fit
  13. spell — letters
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bound — obliged
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. suit — clothes
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. suit — in cards
  22. spell — magic
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. hand — help

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