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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stand — to bear
  6. content — the amount
  7. pitch — completely
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. lean — thin
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. content — happy
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — for a hammer

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