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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. spring — a coil
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. march — the month
  5. charge — electricity
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitch — completely
  10. march — the month
  11. content — happy
  12. mark — a grade
  13. swing — in golf
  14. spring — the season
  15. swing — music
  16. content — the amount
  17. swing — to play on
  18. march — music
  19. spring — of water
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. charge — a price
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mark — to pay attention

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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