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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. land — ground
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. land — to come down
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. land — a country
  21. sharp — clever
  22. drill — army training
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. temple — a place of worship

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