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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. kick — in football
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. key — the most important part
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. ball — a great time
  11. band — a ring
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cold — not warm
  14. band — a music group
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. key — in music
  24. pitch — completely

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