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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mark — a grade
  3. chip — to eat
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. ground — a position
  7. pitch — completely
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chip — for betting
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ground — crushed
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. drill — army training
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pop — to visit
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pop — music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. swing — music

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