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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. chair — a leader
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mark — a grade
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mine — for digging
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mark — a trace
  18. perch — the fish
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chair — a professorship

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