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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. chair — a leader
  6. ball — a great time
  7. scale — in music
  8. pitch — completely
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chest — a box
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ground — a position
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ball — a dance
  18. scale — size or range

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