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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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. chair — a leader
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitch — completely
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. net — after costs
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. net — in sport
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. net — for catching
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. foot — a measure
  19. march — music
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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