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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. ground — a position
  3. rest — a break
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rest — what's left
  6. net — for catching
  7. kick — in football
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. land — to come down
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mug — a cup
  19. net — after costs
  20. pitch — completely
  21. net — in sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mug — to rob
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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