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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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Word bank
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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: deal · mate · game · land · cap · bulb · pop · pitch

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pop — music
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. land — a country
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. game — wild animals
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mate — a partner
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bulb — for light
  22. land — ground
  23. pitch — completely
  24. land — to come down

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