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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: kick · season · spell · deal · game · bore · pitch · mark

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. kick — in football
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. season — in sport
  10. game — a match
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — of the year
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bore — to tire
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mark — a grade
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. game — wild animals

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