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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. track — to keep track
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. track — a path
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. hand — help
  18. track — a song
  19. mate — a friend
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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