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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. ground — a position
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ground — crushed
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — a match
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ground — the earth
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. row — a line
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cap — a hat

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