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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ground — the earth
  4. deal — to handle
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. spell — magic
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. kick — in football
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. spell — letters
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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