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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lean — to bend
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. march — music
  8. bank — for money
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pitch — completely
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pound — a weight
  15. march — the month
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. march — the month
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lean — thin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bank — of a river

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