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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rule — a law
  6. chip — for betting
  7. march — the month
  8. spring — of water
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitch — completely
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. march — the month
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spring — the season
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spring — a coil
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. march — music
  23. rule — government
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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