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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bass — low music
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bark — to shout
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ground — a position
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mine — for digging

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