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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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 — a sales talk
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitch — completely
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spell — magic
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mate — a partner
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. spell — a short time
  13. field — a subject
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. field — farmland
  19. bear — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. spell — letters
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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