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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. object — to protest
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitch — completely
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. object — an aim
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. object — a thing
  17. mine — for digging
  18. can — a tin
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fine — all right
  22. ball — a great time
  23. can — to be able to
  24. deal — to handle

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