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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. row — a line
  3. saw — the tool
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. saw — the tool
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. net — for catching
  11. pitch — completely
  12. snap — to click
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. net — in sport
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. row — to paddle
  22. net — after costs
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pitch — a sports field

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