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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitch — completely
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. hand — help
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hand — in cards
  24. sharp — with an edge

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