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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. march — the month
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. kid — to tease
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. march — music
  16. cell — a phone
  17. march — the month
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. suit — in cards
  22. kid — child
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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