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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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cold — an illness
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. object — a thing
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cold — not warm
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. object — an aim
  13. kick — in football
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. object — to protest
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. trunk — of a car

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