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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ground — the earth
  5. roll — a list
  6. ground — a position
  7. swing — music
  8. roll — a cake
  9. net — in sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. plane — a tool
  14. swing — in golf
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ground — crushed
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. cue — a hint

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