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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. suit — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. game — wild animals
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. hand — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pitch — completely
  12. game — a match
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. suit — clothes
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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