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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. tube — a container
  8. snap — to click
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. suit — clothes
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fall — to drop

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