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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pitch — completely
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mate — a partner
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. kid — child
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mate — to breed
  16. spring — a coil
  17. can — a tin
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — a song
  21. spring — of water
  22. can — to be able to
  23. spring — the season
  24. wound — an injury

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