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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pitch — completely
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rest — a break
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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