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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. roll — a cake
  5. scale — in music
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. row — a line
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. foot — a measure
  11. roll — a list
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. snap — to click
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. deal — to handle
  23. row — to paddle
  24. scale — size or range

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