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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hand — help
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cue — a hint
  18. chest — a box
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cue — a signal

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