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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. last — to go on
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. charge — in control
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. last — finally
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bass — low music
  16. ground — a position
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. charge — a price
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. last — final
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wind — moving air
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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