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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 124 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. court — for sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. band — a music group
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mug — a face
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. shower — to wash
  14. court — of a king
  15. band — a ring
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mug — to rob
  18. shower — rain
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. court — of law
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bore — to drill
  24. band — a rubber band

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