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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — to come down
  12. game — a match
  13. board — a committee
  14. land — a country
  15. tear — from crying
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. land — ground
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tear — to rip
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wake — a trail
  24. board — to get on

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