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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. ball — a dance
  4. march — music
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. band — a music group
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ball — a great time
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tube — the underground
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. band — a ring
  18. march — the month
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. tube — a container
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitch — a sports field

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