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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. chair — a leader
  7. hand — in cards
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chip — for betting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chip — to eat
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. hand — help
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. chip — in a computer

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