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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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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: mine · row · cap · pitch · ground · bowl · kid · stick

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. ground — a position
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pitch — completely
  22. kid — child
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pitch — a sports field

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