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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. charge — a price
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. can — a tin
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. field — a subject
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. face — to confront
  11. ground — a position
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. charge — in control
  14. can — to be able to
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. charge — electricity
  19. field — for sport
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stem — to come from
  22. field — farmland
  23. can — a tin
  24. stem — of a plant

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