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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. land — a country
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. ball — a dance
  6. land — to come down
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chest — a box
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chest — of your body
  21. land — ground
  22. hand — help
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bear — to put up with

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