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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. land — ground
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. club — for dancing
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hand — help
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rock — music
  13. land — a country
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. club — a group
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rock — a stone
  20. club — for golf
  21. land — to come down
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mine — an explosive

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