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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. tube — a container
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rock — music
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bass — low music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rock — a stone
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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