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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. march — the month
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — a country
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hand — help
  13. suit — clothes
  14. land — to come down
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hand — in cards
  18. suit — in cards
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. march — music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. land — ground

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