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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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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 · foot · cue · bay · row · sharp · game · present

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. row — a line
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. sharp — clever
  6. present — a gift
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pitch — completely
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cue — a hint
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. present — there
  19. foot — a measure
  20. game — a match
  21. cue — a signal
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. present — the time now

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