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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. chest — a box
  10. tube — a container
  11. stock — goods
  12. lean — thin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pitch — completely
  19. stock — shares
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chest — of your body
  24. nail — for a hammer

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