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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ground — a position
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kid — to tease
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hand — help
  16. kid — child
  17. ground — crushed
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. hand — in cards
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lean — thin

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