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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. present — a gift
  4. content — the amount
  5. spell — a short time
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. content — happy
  11. spell — letters
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. present — there
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ball — a dance
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fall — the season
  19. spell — magic
  20. rash — hasty
  21. present — the time now
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rash — a series

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