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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. content — the amount
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bulb — for light
  12. march — music
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. spell — letters
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. track — a song
  19. spell — magic
  20. march — the month
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. content — happy
  23. pitch — completely
  24. track — a path

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