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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · pitch · race · foot · nail · squash · clip · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. race — humankind
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. clip — a video
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. foot — a measure
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. race — a contest
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pitch — completely
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. race — the arms race
  20. clip — for paper
  21. squash — the sport
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. nail — for a hammer

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