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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 116 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitch — completely
  3. scale — in music
  4. game — a match
  5. dip — to sink
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — size or range
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. march — music
  12. game — wild animals
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rash — a series
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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