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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pass — a permit
  3. game — a match
  4. rush — hurry
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. roll — a list
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. dip — to sink
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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