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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bank — for money
  7. bore — to tire
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mug — a face
  11. pitch — completely
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bank — for money
  24. bat — for baseball

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