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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. march — the month
  3. toast — bread
  4. row — to paddle
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. row — a line
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ground — the earth
  13. spell — magic
  14. march — the month
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. ground — a position
  19. lie — to recline
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. spell — letters
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ground — crushed

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