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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ground — a position
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mug — a face
  9. ground — the earth
  10. present — a gift
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. land — ground
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fine — all right
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. present — there
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mug — to rob
  24. chair — a leader

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