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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. spell — letters
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. season — in sport
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. spell — magic
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hand — help
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. season — of the year
  19. rest — a break
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rest — what's left
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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