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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. can — a tin
  14. capital — a city
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. capital — money
  17. chest — a box
  18. can — a tin
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bore — to drill
  23. sharp — clever
  24. can — to be able to

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