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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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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mug — a face
  6. board — a committee
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. season — in sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. board — to get on
  14. mug — to rob
  15. key — for a lock
  16. season — of the year
  17. key — in music
  18. hand — in cards
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. key — the most important part
  21. hand — help
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. racket — for tennis

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