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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. land — ground
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bound — obliged
  8. land — to come down
  9. chip — to eat
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bound — certain
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bound — tied together
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. row — a line
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. deal — to handle
  23. land — a country
  24. row — to paddle

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