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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pitch — completely
  3. ground — the earth
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. club — a group
  12. stem — to come from
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. ground — a position
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. club — for golf
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. rash — a series
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rash — hasty

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