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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. drill — the tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. ball — a great time
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. chair — a leader
  13. saw — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. mug — a face
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. sharp — clever
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chest — a box

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