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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bore — to drill
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. deal — a big deal

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