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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: pop · trunk · wind · hand · mate · saw · pitch · dip

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hand — help
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — a friend
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pop — to visit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mate — a partner
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pop — soda
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pop — music
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pitch — a sports field

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