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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. swing — music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. swing — in golf
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pitch — completely
  23. swing — to play on
  24. tear — from crying

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