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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitch — completely
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hand — help
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. hand — in cards
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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