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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitch — completely
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. present — there
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. present — a gift
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chest — a box
  15. present — the time now
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wound — an injury

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