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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: pitch · mate · court · bass · bound · trunk · deal · board

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bass — low music
  4. mate — to breed
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bound — tied together
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. board — a committee
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. court — of a king
  15. pitch — completely
  16. board — to get on
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bound — certain
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bound — obliged

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