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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bank — for money
  3. scale — in music
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bank — of a river
  8. court — of a king
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bank — for money
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. court — of law
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. scale — size or range
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. court — for sport
  21. bear — the animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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