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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bass — low music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chest — a box
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mate — a friend
  16. tube — a container
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. swing — music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bass — the fish
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wave — of the sea

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