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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wound — an injury
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. firm — a company
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. band — a ring
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. firm — decided
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. firm — steady
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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