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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: lie · ball · prune · ground · pitch · nail · fine · field

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — all right
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pitch — completely
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fine — high quality
  17. prune — to trim
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ground — a position
  24. nail — on a finger

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