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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lean — thin
  7. bass — low music
  8. content — the amount
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mine — for digging
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bass — the fish
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cap — a hat
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cap — a lid
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. content — happy

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