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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. mate — a friend
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lean — thin
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bat — the animal
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. kid — child
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mate — a partner
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kid — to tease
  24. perch — for a bird

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