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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. kid — to tease
  7. roll — a list
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitch — completely
  10. roll — a cake
  11. spell — letters
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. hand — help
  16. spell — magic
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. foot — a measure
  23. kid — child
  24. wave — of the sea

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