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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hand — help
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bass — the fish
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bass — low music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bass — the instrument

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