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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pitch — completely
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bat — the animal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. ground — crushed
  12. season — in sport
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. band — a music group
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. band — a ring
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. shower — rain
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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