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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cap — a lid
  3. current — of water
  4. march — the month
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mine — for digging
  7. kick — in football
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. current — electric
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. march — music
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. current — happening now

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