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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: band · pound · game · lie · pitch · arm · bat · root

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. band — a music group
  5. pound — a weight
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lie — to recline
  9. game — a match
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. band — a ring
  22. root — of a word
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bat — the animal

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