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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bulb — for light
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bank — for money
  6. bulb — for light
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bank — of a river
  9. net — in sport
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. field — farmland
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. snap — to click
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. tear — from crying
  19. field — a subject
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bank — for money
  22. tear — to rip
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. field — for sport

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