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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rash — a series
  10. scale — size or range
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. season — in sport
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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