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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. band — a music group
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. band — a ring
  5. capital — a city
  6. cold — not warm
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. club — for golf
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. club — a group
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. capital — money
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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