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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. hand — help
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wake — a trail
  22. toast — bread
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bat — for baseball

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