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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kid — child
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. kick — in football
  9. swing — music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cap — of ice
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. swing — in golf
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pitch — completely
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — a thrill

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