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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 · game · kick · pit · spell · band · lean · squash

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. band — a ring
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. game — wild animals
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kick — in football
  15. spell — magic
  16. lean — to bend
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. game — a match
  20. lean — thin
  21. pit — in a race
  22. squash — to crush
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitch — completely

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