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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mine — for digging
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mark — a grade
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pitch — completely
  23. can — a tin
  24. bowl — a dish

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