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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ground — a position
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. mate — a partner
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ground — crushed
  9. vault — a safe
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mate — to breed
  15. foot — a measure
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pitch — completely
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. date — the fruit
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ground — the earth
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mate — a friend

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