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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. season — of the year
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mug — to rob
  8. content — the amount
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bore — to tire
  11. content — happy
  12. mug — a cup
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stock — goods
  17. last — to go on
  18. stock — shares
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mug — a face
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. content — videos and posts

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