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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. march — the month
  3. net — for catching
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. ground — a position
  7. net — in sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kid — child
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. mug — a face
  14. march — music
  15. pitch — completely
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ground — crushed
  19. march — the month
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. kid — to tease
  23. net — after costs
  24. pitch — a sports field

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