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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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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. capital — money
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rash — a series
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. capital — a city
  10. march — the month
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fall — the season
  13. march — music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rash — hasty
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. can — a tin
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. march — the month

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