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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. ground — the earth
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. present — a gift
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitch — completely
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. present — the time now
  19. lie — to recline
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. present — there
  24. ground — a position

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