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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. land — a country
  15. fall — the season
  16. wound — an injury
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. ground — a position
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitch — completely
  24. land — to come down

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