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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. court — of a king
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spell — magic
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wind — moving air
  11. court — for sport
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wind — moving air
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. race — a contest
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spell — a short time
  19. race — the arms race
  20. spell — letters
  21. race — humankind
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. court — of law

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