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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. present — the time now
  3. hand — help
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. present — a gift
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. present — there
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fork — in a road
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cold — an illness
  18. hand — in cards
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cold — not warm
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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