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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. net — after costs
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. march — the month
  7. field — for sport
  8. net — in sport
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. field — farmland
  11. march — the month
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. net — for catching
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. key — in music
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. field — a subject
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. march — music

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