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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: pitch · foot · shower · chest · cap · ground · mug · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mug — a cup
  8. chest — a box
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mug — a face
  16. cap — a hat
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pop — music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cap — a lid
  24. ground — a position

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