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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. row — a line
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. row — to paddle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pitch — completely
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. deal — to handle
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. deal — an agreement

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