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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. land — to come down
  7. mine — for digging
  8. land — a country
  9. content — happy
  10. rash — a series
  11. ground — a position
  12. land — ground
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bat — the animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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