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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 120 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. kid — to tease
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pound — a weight
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cap — of ice
  21. saw — the tool
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kid — child

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