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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. kid — child
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. ground — the earth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — employees
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. ground — crushed
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bass — the fish
  19. staff — employees
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. ground — a position

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