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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitch — completely
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. roll — a cake
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. tear — from crying
  10. roll — a list
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — bread
  16. row — to paddle
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chair — a leader
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. toast — the most admired

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