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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. hand — help
  3. rest — a break
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. sharp — clever
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chest — a box
  21. rash — a series
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chest — of your body

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