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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fall — to drop
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. snap — to click
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. court — of a king
  8. fall — the season
  9. object — to protest
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. court — for sport
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — of law
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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