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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chip — to eat
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. chip — for betting
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. dip — to sink
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bark — to shout

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