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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. object — to protest
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pitch — completely
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. field — a subject
  12. mark — a trace
  13. field — for sport
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. field — farmland
  24. ball — a dance

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