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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. game — a match
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bat — the animal
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pound — a weight
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitch — completely
  23. snap — to click
  24. safe — out of danger

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