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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: ball · fall · pitch · face · club · racket · land · mate

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. land — ground
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. land — to come down
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — a friend
  12. fall — the season
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mate — to breed
  16. land — a country
  17. club — a group
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. face — to confront
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. club — for golf

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