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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. present — there
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. file — a document
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pit — a hole
  10. face — part of the head
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. present — a gift
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. face — to point toward
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. key — the most important part
  19. file — a tool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. pit — in a race
  23. face — to confront
  24. present — the time now

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