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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bass — low music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. capital — money
  9. pitch — completely
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. chest — of your body
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bass — the fish

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