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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fine — all right
  10. wound — an injury
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lean — thin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lean — to bend
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bat — the animal

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