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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 116 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitch — completely
  4. club — for golf
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. leaves — lets stay

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