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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tear — from crying
  3. land — a country
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. charge — a price
  7. land — ground
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. saw — the tool
  14. land — to come down
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. charge — in control
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. tear — from crying
  23. charge — electricity
  24. pitch — completely

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