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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 very handy with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. fall — to drop
  6. present — a gift
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. season — in sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — help
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fall — to drop
  23. season — of the year
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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