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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. last — finally
  3. suit — clothes
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. last — final
  9. pitch — completely
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — of the year
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. last — to go on
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. suit — to fit

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