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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — crushed
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pitch — completely
  11. ground — a position
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. ground — the earth
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. game — a match
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. staff — employees
  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