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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. kid — child
  10. charge — in control
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. fork — in a road
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — there
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. charge — a price
  23. row — a line
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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