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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ground — a position
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bore — to drill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fall — the season
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pitch — completely

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