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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: season · land · kick · pitcher · pitch · bass · lean · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. kick — in football
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mate — a partner
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. lean — to bend
  13. land — ground
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mate — a friend
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — thin
  19. season — of the year
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kick — with a leg

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