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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. pitch — completely
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. face — part of the head
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. can — to be able to
  9. chair — a leader
  10. can — a tin
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. can — a tin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. tear — from crying
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. lean — thin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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