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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. scale — in music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lie — to recline
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. ground — a position
  10. fall — to drop
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fall — the season
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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