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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. ground — crushed
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cold — an illness
  10. charge — a price
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. lean — thin
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. lean — to bend

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