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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cell — a phone
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. club — for golf
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. snap — to click
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. fine — all right
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. club — a group
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. club — for dancing

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