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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rash — a series
  4. spring — the season
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spring — of water
  8. mate — a partner
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stand — to bear
  22. spring — a coil
  23. kick — in football
  24. mate — a friend

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