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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bound — certain
  3. perch — the fish
  4. last — to go on
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — final
  12. deal — to handle
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bore — to tire
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. last — finally

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