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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fork — in a road
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. clip — a video
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. bass — low music
  15. hand — help
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fork — to eat with

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