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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. foot — a measure
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitch — completely
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. row — a line
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. scale — size or range
  20. date — the fruit
  21. scale — in music
  22. cell — a phone
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cell — in biology

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