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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rest — a break
  6. can — a tin
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rest — what's left
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rest — what's left
  11. perch — the fish
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. shower — rain
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. can — a tin
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bark — to shout
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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