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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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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: cold · game · present · ground · safe · snap · pitch · bass

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bass — low music
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. present — there
  7. game — a match
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. snap — to click
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ground — a position
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cold — an illness
  15. present — the time now
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. ground — the earth
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cold — not warm
  22. present — a gift
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bass — the instrument

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