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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. field — farmland
  5. can — a tin
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. march — the month
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. march — music
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. can — to be able to
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. march — the month
  21. snap — to click
  22. sharp — clever
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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