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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. march — the month
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. date — the fruit
  5. shower — to wash
  6. club — for golf
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. club — for dancing
  12. march — the month
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. club — a group
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. shower — rain
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. march — music
  20. pound — a weight
  21. sharp — clever
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. sharp — with an edge

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