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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. hand — help
  7. bear — the animal
  8. row — to paddle
  9. hand — in cards
  10. row — a line
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pound — a weight
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. press — to push
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. press — a publisher
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. scale — in music

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