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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. shower — to wash
  7. hand — help
  8. pitch — completely
  9. hand — in cards
  10. shower — rain
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. ball — a dance
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. lie — to recline

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