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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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 — a position
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cue — a signal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. last — finally
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cue — a hint
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. last — to go on
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pitch — completely
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ground — the earth
  15. last — final
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. ground — crushed
  18. drill — army training
  19. charge — a price
  20. cue — for pool
  21. drill — the tool
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. drill — a practice
  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