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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pop — music
  3. season — of the year
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pop — soda
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ground — a position
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pitch — completely
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lean — thin
  16. season — in sport
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pitcher — a jug

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