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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 124 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mark — a trace
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. sharp — clever
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. field — a subject
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. track — to keep track

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