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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rest — what's left
  3. field — a subject
  4. sharp — clever
  5. chip — for betting
  6. rest — a break
  7. field — farmland
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. chip — to eat
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mine — for digging
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. field — for sport
  24. trunk — of a tree

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