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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. staff — employees
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. content — happy
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. content — the amount
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rash — hasty
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — a series
  19. staff — employees
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. staff — a stick
  23. nail — on a finger
  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