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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 120 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: mouse · mine · sharp · pitch · nail · mate · ground · bat

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. sharp — clever
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mate — to breed
  24. sharp — exactly

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