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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — tied together
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to click
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bound — certain
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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