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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. face — to confront
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. court — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — part of the head
  12. deal — to handle
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. court — of law
  16. kid — child
  17. court — of a king
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. kid — to tease
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wound — an injury
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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