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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pop — to visit
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. kick — in football
  6. hand — in cards
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. firm — a company
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — wild animals
  14. firm — steady
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pop — music
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. firm — decided
  24. game — a match

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