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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. capital — a city
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. rest — what's left
  7. club — for golf
  8. pop — to visit
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pop — soda
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rest — what's left
  16. snap — to click
  17. kid — child
  18. pop — music
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. can — a tin
  21. rest — a break
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. pitch — a sports field

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