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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. pop — soda
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. kid — child
  8. pop — music
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. kid — to tease
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. ground — a position
  20. game — wild animals
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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