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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. pitch — completely
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bound — tied together
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — a box
  17. bound — obliged
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. prune — to trim

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