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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: pitch · pound · stick · game · mate · last · rule · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rule — government
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pitch — completely
  7. last — finally
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. last — final
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. season — of the year
  13. game — a match
  14. mate — a friend
  15. season — in sport
  16. pound — a weight
  17. rule — a law
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. last — to go on
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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