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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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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: bear · bound · kid · bass · racket · cue · temple · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bound — certain
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bass — low music
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pitch — completely
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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