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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. track — a path
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. track — a song
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. toast — bread
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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