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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. spring — of water
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. spring — a coil
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pit — a hole
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitch — completely
  19. deal — to handle
  20. present — there
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spring — the season

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