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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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Word bank
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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: pitch · rash · dip · sharp · season · scale · ground · date

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rash — hasty
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. date — the fruit
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitch — completely
  7. scale — in music
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. season — of the year
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ground — a position
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rash — a series
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. sharp — clever
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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