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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. spring — the season
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. swing — music
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — in cards
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bear — the animal
  11. swing — in golf
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pit — a hole
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. hand — help
  21. swing — to play on
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bear — to put up with

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