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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rush — hurry
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stem — to come from
  14. can — to be able to
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. snap — to click
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. can — a tin

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