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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. net — in sport
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. last — finally
  10. ground — the earth
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. net — after costs
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hand — help
  16. pitch — completely
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — a position
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hand — in cards
  22. net — for catching
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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