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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. drill — the tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. spell — magic
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. spell — a short time
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitch — completely
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. spell — letters
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. kid — child
  18. mate — a partner
  19. drill — army training
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. drill — a practice
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. arm — part of the body

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