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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mate — a partner
  5. march — music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. game — a match
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. march — the month
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pitch — completely
  18. march — the month

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