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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. scale — in music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wound — an injury
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. kick — in football
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bore — to drill
  15. scale — size or range
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wound — an injury
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. band — a ring
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cell — in a prison

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