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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mate — to breed
  4. club — for golf
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. staff — employees
  9. club — a group
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. club — for dancing
  14. kick — in football
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pitch — completely
  18. staff — employees
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spring — of water
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mate — a partner
  23. hand — help
  24. spring — the season

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