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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. swing — music
  5. net — in sport
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitch — completely
  8. game — a match
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bound — obliged
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. bound — certain
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. ball — a great time
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bound — tied together
  24. temple — a place of worship

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