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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — thin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mug — a cup
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. march — music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — a face
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — completely
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mug — to rob
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lean — to rest against

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