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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. chip — for betting
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. key — for a lock
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. key — in music
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. key — the most important part
  17. game — a match
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ground — a position
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. ground — crushed

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