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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. drill — army training
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pitch — completely
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. rock — a stone
  14. spring — of water
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rock — music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. kick — with a leg

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