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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cell — a phone
  5. kick — in football
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — to shout
  11. ground — a position
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. staff — employees
  14. cell — in biology
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. court — of law
  21. ground — crushed
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. staff — a stick
  24. kick — a thrill

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