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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: pitch · wind · wake · cell · pop · mouse · board · mate

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. cell — a phone
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. board — to get on
  4. pop — soda
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pop — music
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. board — a committee
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. board — a flat piece
  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