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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. net — for catching
  4. deal — to handle
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. toast — bread
  7. sharp — clever
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. net — in sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rash — a series
  19. net — after costs
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. arm — a part of something

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