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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. land — ground
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. roll — a list
  7. club — for golf
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pitch — completely
  11. roll — a cake
  12. land — a country
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mate — a partner
  15. ground — a position
  16. mate — to breed
  17. club — for dancing
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. degree — temperature
  21. land — to come down
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. club — a group
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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