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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. suit — in cards
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hand — in cards
  5. board — a committee
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — a series
  15. kid — child
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. board — to get on
  23. hand — help
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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