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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 116 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: cell · swing · bowl · pitch · ground · pound · bay · perch

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pound — a weight
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. swing — music
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pitch — completely
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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