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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pop — music
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pound — a weight
  6. court — of law
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pop — soda
  9. pitch — completely
  10. march — music
  11. ground — a position
  12. march — the month
  13. court — of a king
  14. march — the month
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. court — for sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. can — a tin
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. ground — crushed
  24. content — videos and posts

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