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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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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: land · hand · kid · pit · bear · kick · pitch · pitcher

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. kick — in football
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. land — to come down
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — help
  11. land — a country
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pit — in a race
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hand — in cards
  18. land — ground
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pitch — completely
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bear — 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