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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pit — in a race
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pitch — completely
  5. row — to paddle
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. staff — employees
  11. row — a line
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. kid — child
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pit — a hole
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. hand — in cards

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