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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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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: race · ground · pound · spring · pitch · cap · sharp · hide

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ground — the earth
  5. spring — the season
  6. cap — a hat
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. race — the arms race
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. spring — of water
  14. pound — a weight
  15. race — humankind
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. race — a contest
  18. ground — crushed
  19. spring — a coil
  20. ground — a position
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cap — a lid

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