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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 120 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: wave · hand · pitch · mate · pop · court · pound · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bear — the animal
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. court — of law
  11. hand — help
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. court — of a king
  14. pop — soda
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pop — music
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hand — part of the body

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