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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. content — happy
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rest — what's left
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rest — a break
  17. content — the amount
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kick — in football
  23. rest — what's left
  24. safe — a strongbox

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