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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. face — part of the head
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. hand — in cards
  10. capital — a city
  11. game — a match
  12. squash — to crush
  13. hand — help
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. face — to confront
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. face — to point toward
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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