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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 120 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: game · pitch · coach · fall · mug · swing · root · arm

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. root — the cause
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. root — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. swing — music
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. root — of a word
  18. pitch — completely
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. game — a match
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mug — to rob
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pitch — a sports field

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