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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitch — completely
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. game — a match
  11. swing — in golf
  12. foot — a measure
  13. rash — hasty
  14. swing — to play on
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. swing — music
  20. rash — a series
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bound — obliged
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bound — certain

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