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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. last — to go on
  3. can — a tin
  4. degree — temperature
  5. snap — to click
  6. squash — to crush
  7. last — final
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pop — music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. can — to be able to
  17. last — finally
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. squash — the sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. fork — in a road

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