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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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. drill — army training
  4. fall — the season
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. game — wild animals
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. game — a match
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cap — a lid

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