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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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468
Word bank
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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. tear — from crying
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pit — a hole
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. board — to get on
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. game — a match
  12. squash — the sport
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. tear — from crying
  17. content — the amount
  18. snap — to click
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pit — in a race
  21. game — wild animals
  22. board — a committee
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. squash — the vegetable

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