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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bound — tied together
  3. current — electric
  4. court — for sport
  5. rock — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rock — a stone
  10. sharp — clever
  11. spell — letters
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. court — of a king
  14. bound — certain
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. pop — music
  21. court — of law
  22. pop — to visit
  23. spell — magic
  24. pitch — a sports field

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