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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wind — moving air
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bore — to drill
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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