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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. plane — a tool
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kick — in football
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rash — a series
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rash — hasty
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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