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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. key — the most important part
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. chest — a box
  12. pitch — completely
  13. key — in music
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rash — a series
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. season — of the year
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. chest — of your body

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