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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wake — a trail
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. current — happening now
  7. field — for sport
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. current — electric
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bass — low music
  18. mine — for digging
  19. field — a subject
  20. bass — the fish
  21. current — of water
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. field — farmland
  24. squash — the sport

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