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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. club — for golf
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cell — a phone
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. club — for dancing
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mate — a friend
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cell — in biology
  16. snap — to click
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. club — a group
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wave — with your hand

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