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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. row — to paddle
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ground — crushed
  9. row — a line
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. fall — to drop
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cap — a lid
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fall — the season
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitch — completely
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pitch — a sports field

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