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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chest — a box
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wind — moving air
  23. saw — the tool
  24. calf — of the leg

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