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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.

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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: kick · current · pitch · lean · pitcher · rash · bass · season

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bass — low music
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. kick — in football
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. season — in sport
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. season — of the year
  24. current — electric

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