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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. spell — letters
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fine — high quality
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. spell — magic
  9. vault — a safe
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. rash — a series
  14. root — of a word
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fine — all right

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