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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. club — for golf
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. hand — help
  6. pop — soda
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pop — music
  9. club — a group
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. chair — a leader
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. club — for dancing
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. hand — in cards
  22. kid — child
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kid — to tease

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