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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · present · deal · racket · pitch · wake

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. present — there
  3. deal — to handle
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wake — a trail
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping

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