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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. last — final
  3. pitch — completely
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. last — finally
  11. land — to come down
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rush — hurry
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. last — to go on
  20. mark — a trace
  21. land — a country
  22. mark — a grade
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. land — ground

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