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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. sharp — clever
  5. court — of law
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. kid — to tease
  15. drill — army training
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. court — for sport
  20. kid — child
  21. court — of a king
  22. drill — a practice
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pitch — a sports field

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