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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ground — a position
  5. land — ground
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. clip — a video
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. clip — for paper
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pop — to visit
  18. land — a country
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitch — completely

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