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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 120 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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. plane — a tool
  7. stock — goods
  8. clip — to cut
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — clever
  19. club — a group
  20. clip — a video
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. clip — for paper
  23. club — for golf
  24. chest — of your body

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