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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mark — a grade
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. pitch — completely
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. game — a match
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. root — of a word
  16. ground — crushed
  17. root — the cause
  18. game — wild animals
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pound — a weight
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. root — of a plant
  23. ground — a position
  24. sharp — exactly

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