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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mug — a face
  6. game — a match
  7. last — finally
  8. game — wild animals
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pass — a permit
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. last — to go on
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. last — final
  21. rash — a series
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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