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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 124 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. track — a song
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. hand — in cards
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. track — a path
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mug — a face
  20. fork — in a road
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rush — to hurry

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