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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 116 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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. clip — a video
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. firm — steady
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. firm — decided
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. snap — to click
  21. pound — a weight
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pitch — a sports field

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