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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. ground — the earth
  3. land — to come down
  4. last — finally
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mug — to rob
  9. swing — to play on
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. mug — a cup
  13. last — to go on
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ground — crushed
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cell — in biology
  21. last — final
  22. ground — a position
  23. mug — a face
  24. swing — music

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