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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 120 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hand — help
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stock — goods
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitch — completely
  14. key — the most important part
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cell — in biology
  19. key — in music
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stock — shares
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. key — for a lock

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