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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: dip · pitch · cold · mark · rash · kick · game · bay

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cold — not warm
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. kick — in football
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cold — an illness
  13. game — a match
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. game — wild animals
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mark — a grade
  19. dip — to sink
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rash — a series
  24. mark — to pay attention

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