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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. content — the amount
  3. spring — a coil
  4. firm — decided
  5. rule — a law
  6. spring — of water
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. content — happy
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. firm — steady
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kid — child
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. firm — a company
  21. pitch — completely
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. spring — the season

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