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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. spell — letters
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. spell — a short time
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chip — for betting
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. field — farmland
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. spell — magic
  18. chip — to eat
  19. field — a subject
  20. wound — an injury
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. field — for sport
  24. wound — an injury

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