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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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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: pitch · root · mug · firm · band · bear · game · season

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. firm — steady
  3. mug — a face
  4. bear — the animal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. root — of a plant
  9. game — a match
  10. root — of a word
  11. firm — a company
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mug — a cup
  14. band — a ring
  15. firm — decided
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. band — a music group
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. season — in sport
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. root — the cause
  24. season — of the year

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