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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. last — finally
  4. drill — the tool
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. last — to go on
  7. degree — an amount
  8. drill — a practice
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. track — a path
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. last — final
  14. track — a song
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. game — wild animals
  18. degree — from a university
  19. game — a match
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lie — to recline
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. track — to keep track
  24. dip — to sink

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