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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fine — all right
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. ground — a position
  16. pitch — completely
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitch — a sales talk

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