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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. game — a match
  3. present — there
  4. row — to paddle
  5. present — a gift
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. current — happening now
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. current — electric
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — child
  22. current — of water
  23. row — a line
  24. present — the time now

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