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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. capital — money
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — an injury
  17. capital — a city
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pit — a hole
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. snap — to click
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pit — in a race

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