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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mate — to breed
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. hand — help
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. spring — of water
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. ball — a great time
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. spring — the season
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mate — a friend

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