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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bound — tied together
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bound — certain
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. squash — the sport
  23. kid — child
  24. cell — in a prison

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