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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cell — in biology
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitch — completely
  15. key — the most important part
  16. game — a match
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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