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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: wind · suit · swing · pitch · ground · nail · hand · bear

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. swing — to play on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. suit — in cards
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pitch — completely
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. suit — clothes
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ground — a position
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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