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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fall — the season
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rock — music
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. snap — to click
  21. pitch — completely
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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