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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cold — not warm
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fall — the season
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. nail — for a hammer

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