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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. current — electric
  8. season — of the year
  9. ground — a position
  10. current — happening now
  11. fall — to drop
  12. season — in sport
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fall — the season
  15. sharp — clever
  16. current — of water
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fall — to drop
  20. squash — the sport
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pitch — completely
  24. sharp — with an edge

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