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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — in golf
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. march — the month
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mug — a face
  15. tear — to rip
  16. march — music
  17. swing — music
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — the season
  22. tear — from crying
  23. march — the month
  24. racket — for tennis

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