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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. last — final
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pitch — completely
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ground — the earth
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ground — crushed
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. land — a country
  16. last — to go on
  17. bark — to shout
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. last — finally
  21. land — to come down
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. land — ground

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