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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. club — for golf
  3. pound — a weight
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. club — a group
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. face — to confront
  11. club — for dancing
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. face — to point toward
  20. game — a match
  21. pitch — completely
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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