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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. lie — to recline
  3. season — of the year
  4. spell — magic
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stock — goods
  11. drill — the tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — a short time
  16. charge — in control
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stock — shares
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spell — letters
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. saw — the tool

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