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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · pitch · pound · cell · jam · lie · stick · sharp

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pound — a weight
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cell — in biology
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pitch — completely
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wake — a trail

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