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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. roll — a list
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rock — music
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cue — for pool
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cue — a signal
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cue — a hint
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rock — a stone
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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