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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. lie — to recline
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitch — completely
  5. sharp — clever
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. track — a path
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. kid — child
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bank — of a river
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bank — for money
  21. track — to keep track
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. track — a song
  24. capital — money

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