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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pitch — completely
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mark — a trace
  7. kick — in football
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mark — a grade
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rush — a thrill

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