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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. staff — employees
  3. drill — a practice
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rock — music
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. row — a line
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. staff — a stick
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chest — a box
  19. tube — a container
  20. drill — army training
  21. tube — the underground
  22. row — to paddle
  23. chair — a leader
  24. staff — employees

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