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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. kid — child
  3. pitch — completely
  4. shower — rain
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pit — a hole
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rock — music
  12. present — the time now
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rock — a stone
  24. present — a gift

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