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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: ball · kid · pitch · kick · wake · foot · dip · bear

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bear — the animal
  6. foot — a measure
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. ball — a great time
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wake — a trail
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. dip — to sink
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. kid — child
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. kick — with a leg
  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