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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tear — from crying
  3. firm — a company
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bass — the fish
  6. ground — the earth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. firm — steady
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bass — low music
  16. ground — a position
  17. tear — to rip
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. firm — decided
  20. land — to come down
  21. ground — crushed
  22. track — a path
  23. pitch — completely
  24. track — a song

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