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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rash — a series
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. march — music
  6. pitch — completely
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. present — the time now
  11. ground — crushed
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. fine — all right
  22. ground — a position
  23. can — to be able to
  24. ground — the earth

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