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

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pit — a hole
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pit — in a race
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chair — a leader
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. season — of the year
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wound — an injury
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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