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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rock — music
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mine — for digging
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. rock — a stone
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mine — an explosive

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