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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. staff — employees
  5. land — to come down
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. staff — a stick
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bore — to tire
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wound — an injury
  23. staff — employees
  24. bore — to drill

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