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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bound — obliged
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitch — completely
  7. kid — child
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. key — in music
  10. track — a song
  11. key — the most important part
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bound — tied together
  15. kid — to tease
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bound — certain
  18. track — a path
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. key — for a lock

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