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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 · land · ball · pitch · sharp · hand · game · fan

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. season — in sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. game — a match
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pitch — completely
  9. ball — a great time
  10. hand — in cards
  11. land — a country
  12. season — of the year
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. land — ground
  15. ball — a dance
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. land — to come down
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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