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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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 sports field
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cell — a phone
  4. sharp — clever
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mark — a grade
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. hand — help
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. sharp — exactly
  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