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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cue — for pool
  6. vault — a safe
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chest — of your body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. foot — a measure
  12. chest — a box
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cue — a signal
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. chest — of your body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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