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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stock — shares
  5. bore — to tire
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stock — goods
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. scale — in music
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pitch — completely
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cold — not warm
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lash — to lash out

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