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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. date — the fruit
  4. pitch — completely
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. pop — music
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pop — soda
  14. season — in sport
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ground — the earth
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. season — of the year

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