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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pop — soda
  3. last — finally
  4. ground — crushed
  5. club — for golf
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. net — after costs
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. club — for dancing
  11. net — for catching
  12. pitch — completely
  13. ground — a position
  14. last — final
  15. content — happy
  16. last — to go on
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. lie — to recline
  20. net — in sport
  21. pop — music
  22. club — a group
  23. content — the amount
  24. pop — to visit

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