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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. hand — help
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pitch — completely
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. club — for golf
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — rain
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. club — for dancing
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. face — to point toward
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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