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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wound — an injury
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pitch — completely
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — the month
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. march — music
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. march — the month
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ball — a dance
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cold — an illness

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