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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. net — for catching
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. track — a song
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rule — a law
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. net — in sport
  17. track — a path
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. net — after costs
  22. rule — government
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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