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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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. hand — in cards
  4. kid — to tease
  5. march — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. present — the time now
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. march — the month
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. present — a gift
  14. kid — child
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. hand — help
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pitch — completely
  22. march — the month
  23. present — there
  24. lie — an untruth

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