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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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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: pitch · sharp · pop · kick · bass · pound · hand · season

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pop — to visit
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pitch — completely
  9. kick — in football
  10. pop — soda
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pop — music
  18. bass — low music
  19. pound — a weight
  20. hand — help
  21. season — of the year
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. season — in sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

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