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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cell — in biology
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mug — to rob
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. mug — a face
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mug — a cup
  23. sharp — clever
  24. spring — a coil

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