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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pitch — completely
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. tube — a container
  8. charge — electricity
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bass — the fish
  12. charge — in control
  13. ball — a dance
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wind — moving air
  18. charge — a price
  19. wind — moving air
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bass — low music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. ball — a great time
  24. sharp — exactly

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