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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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Word bank
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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fine — all right
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. land — a country
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fine — high quality
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pitch — completely
  24. sharp — clever

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