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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ground — the earth
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. squash — the sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kid — child
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pitch — completely
  11. present — the time now
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cold — not warm
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. squash — to crush
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ground — crushed
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ground — a position

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