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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pitch — completely
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. drill — army training
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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