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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spell — magic
  9. pop — soda
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cold — an illness
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — a position
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pop — to visit

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