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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. foot — a measure
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. pitch — completely
  9. charge — in control
  10. track — a song
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. charge — electricity
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. track — a path
  16. charge — a price
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. track — to keep track
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stand — to bear
  24. foot — part of the body

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