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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. lean — to bend
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. shower — to wash
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. shower — rain
  11. root — of a word
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rock — music
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. hand — help
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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