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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. ball — a great time
  5. hand — help
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. hand — in cards
  9. race — a contest
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. race — the arms race
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ball — a dance
  16. game — a match
  17. race — humankind
  18. rock — music
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. ball — a round shape

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