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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. current — of water
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. current — happening now
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. ground — crushed
  20. current — electric
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ground — a position
  23. kid — child
  24. sharp — with an edge

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