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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — to keep track
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — a path
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hand — help
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spell — magic
  19. track — a song
  20. spell — a short time
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. spell — letters
  24. rush — hurry

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