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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: pitch · band · suit · leaves · wind · rest · ball · kid

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rest — a break
  8. ball — a dance
  9. suit — in cards
  10. band — a music group
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. band — a ring
  24. wind — moving air

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