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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · game · tube · fine · last · ball · pitch · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tube — the underground
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. season — in sport
  6. fine — all right
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. last — final
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. season — of the year
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitch — completely
  22. tube — a container
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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