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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 best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bank — of a river
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bank — for money
  12. wake — a trail
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chip — for betting
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bank — for money
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. hand — help

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