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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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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 · staff · mouse · pitcher · bound · game · wound · bay

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pitch — completely
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — certain
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bound — tied together
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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