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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rash — a series
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. ground — the earth
  12. court — of law
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pop — soda
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pop — music
  22. court — of a king
  23. ground — a position
  24. cue — a hint

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