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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rock — music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. field — for sport
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. chest — of your body
  9. roll — a list
  10. bear — the animal
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cue — a signal
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rock — a stone
  19. field — a subject
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. chest — a box
  23. field — farmland
  24. bear — the animal

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