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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: cell · present · content · season · wave · deal · squash · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. present — the time now
  3. content — happy
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cell — in biology
  6. season — of the year
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. cell — a phone
  12. present — a gift
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. content — the amount
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. present — there
  23. squash — the sport
  24. season — in sport

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