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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cap — a lid
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mark — a grade
  10. land — ground
  11. ground — the earth
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. land — to come down
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pit — in a race
  23. land — a country
  24. pit — a hole

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