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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rash — a series
  7. cold — not warm
  8. present — the time now
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ground — crushed
  13. key — in music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ground — a position
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. present — a gift

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