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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pop — soda
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pop — music
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. club — a group
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pop — to visit
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spring — of water
  17. drill — army training
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. spring — a coil
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spring — the season
  24. rock — music

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