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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. band — a ring
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. craft — boats
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. game — a match
  13. file — a tool
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. game — wild animals
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cell — in biology
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. band — a music group
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. craft — a skill
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cell — a phone
  24. file — a document

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