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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pitch — completely
  3. dip — to sink
  4. snap — to click
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. chest — a box
  14. stand — to bear
  15. tear — from crying
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bass — low music
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. foot — part of the body

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