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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · bat · bay · lean · content · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. content — happy
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. content — the amount
  13. bat — the animal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitch — completely
  18. lean — thin

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