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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. game — a match
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mug — a cup
  11. hand — in cards
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rock — music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mug — a face

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