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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 116 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. current — electric
  9. last — finally
  10. current — of water
  11. pitch — completely
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. last — final
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. last — to go on
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. game — wild animals
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. current — happening now
  24. pitch — a sports field

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