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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. hand — help
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. can — a tin
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pitch — completely
  9. can — to be able to
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. date — the fruit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cap — a lid
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spell — letters
  17. cap — a hat
  18. tube — a container
  19. can — a tin
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. coach — a trainer

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